About Adam

I'm Adam Ferris. A few years ago I inherited a cigar box of my grandfather's watches — a handful of automatics, a couple of quartz pieces, nothing especially rare — and exactly zero instructions on how to look after any of them. I had no idea a watch needed winding differently depending on its movement, that straps wear out and need replacing, or that a $15 tool could save a $40 repair bill. I learned all of it the slow way, mostly by getting things wrong first. I'm based in Providence, RI — a city with its own real history in American watch and jewelry manufacturing. How I pick: I don't run a repair shop and I'm not a certified watchmaker. What I have is years of actually maintaining a small, mixed collection, plus a habit of reading everything I can find before I buy a tool or a strap. Recommendations here come from comparing specs and owner reports against what's actually held up in my own drawer of watches — and I'm upfront when something is based on research and long-term owner consensus rather than my own hands-on use. What I won't do: no claiming professional watchmaking credentials I don't have. No pretending I've personally tested every strap, winder, or tool reviewed here. No treating a $20 kit as a substitute for a real watchmaker when a repair genuinely calls for one — some jobs are worth taking to a professional, and I'll say so.